Angularly operable head for impact tools



Nov. 22, 1966 F. M. HUFNAGEL 3,235,553

ANGULARLY OPERABLE HEAD FOR IMPACT TOOLS Filed April 9. 1965 lllllllllllllllli 2/ INVENTOR.

ICE/ED M Hum/46E;

United States Patent 3,286,558 ANGULARLY OPERABLE HEAD FOR IMPACT TOOLS Fred M. Hufnagel, 719 Nevada City Highway, Grass Valley, Calif. Filed Apr. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 447,001 8 Claims. (Cl. 811) My invention relates to an angularly operable head for impact tools and, included in the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide an angularly operable head for impact tools which is particularly adapted for use in conjuction with the tool disclosed in Patent No. 2,588,006, issued March 4, 1952, entitled Dental and Surgical Percussion Tool.

Second, to provide an angularly operable head which, particularly as used in dentistry, may be provided with various tips so as to have application in the filling of silver amalgam, gold foil and powdered gold, seating or removing inlays, crowns and orthodontic bands and many other uses.

Third, to provide an angularly operable head which may be adapted to pneumatic or electric impact tools in fields remote from dentistry such as carpentry or upholstery fields.

Fourth, to provide an angularly operable head wherein an arcuate impact element is caused to reciprocate in an arcuate guide whereby the direction of impact may be at any desired angle with respect to the axis of the impact tool such as a 90 or even a 180 angle.

With the above and other objects in view as may appear hereinafter, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of an impact tool adapted for use by dentists and showing the angularly operable head.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken within circle 2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken through 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view taken through 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a partial sectional view of the arcuate impact transmitting member.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 showing a modified form of the angularly operable head.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken through 7- 7 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a side view of the modified arcuate impact transmitting member.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 showing a further modified form of the angularly operable head.

FIGURE 10 is a side view of another modified form of the impact transmitting member, the transmitting member extending approximately a half circle.

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary sectional view of a further modified form of impact transmitting member in which a magnet is provided in the tip.

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary view showing the tip portion of a further modified form of the impact transmitting member.

The impact or percussion tool with which the angularly operable head is employed may vary substantially in size and be intended for a variety of uses. For purposes of illustration, the angularly operable head is shown in conjunction with an impact or percussion tool which is dimensioned for use by dentists and surgeons and may be the type more fully disclosed in my Patent No. 2,588,006.

Patented Nov. 22, 1966 One end of the tool 1 is screwthreaded for connection to an impact head housing 2. The housing 2 terminates in an arcuate portion 3. Internally the housing is provided with a straight bore 4 disposed coaxially with respect to the percussion tool 1 and an arcuate guide bore 5 within the arcuate portion 3. It is preferred that the arcuate bore 5 be square in cross section, as indicated in FIGURE 4.

The straight bore 4 receives a reciprocable impact member 6 adapted to be reciprocated by mechanism within the tool 1 which, for the purposes of this application, may be considered as conventional.

In the construction shown in FIGURES 1 through 5, the impact member 6 is provided with an impact tip or anvil 7 from which extends a small retainer pin 8 and an annular groove 9.

The arcuate guide bore 5 receives an arcuate impact transmitting member 10 having a pair of fingers 11 at its inner end which extend into the straight bore 4 and removably grip the pin 8 as shown in FIGURE 3. The other end of the impact transmitting member extends from the housing 2 and is provided with an operating tip 12. The shape and form of the operating tip varies according to the use intended. The operating tip shown in FIG- URES 1, 2 and 5, for example, is adapted for removing orthodontic braces or for removing tooth caps or the like, as well as other operations.

Operation of the angularly operable head is as follows:

The reciprocable impact member 6 is caused to reciprocate by mechanism within the percussion tool 1. In doing so, its impact tip 7 acts against the inner end of the impact transmitting member 10 so as to cause the operating tip 12 to deliver a corresponding blow. The pin and finger connection between the impact tip and the impact transmitting member retracts the impact transmitting member between blows. The grip afforded by the fingers 11 of the impact transmitting member is such as to hold the member in place for operation, but permits the impact transmitting member to be pulled free so that a series of impact transmitting members may be interchangeably connected.

Reference is now directed to FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 which illustrate a modified construction differing principally in the manner of connection between the imp-act member 6 and the impact transmitting member 10. In this construction, the impact member 6 is provided with a socket 13 and the impact transmitting member 10 is provided with modified fingers 14 which tend to spring outwardly against the walls of the socket 13 so as to be yieldably held therein. The outer portion of the socket 13 is tapered to facilitate insertion of the fingers.

Reference is now directed to FIGURE 9. In this construction, the impact transmitting member designated 15 comprises a rigid arcuate portion 16 which, in this case, is shown as circular in cross section and an impact transmitting spring 17. The spring is so wound that the convolutions tend to bear against each other so that when the spring is bent in arcuate shape, the convolutions at the radially inner side are in contact with each other. In this case, the impact member 6 is provided with an attachment tip 18 having a superficial helical groove so that the spring may be snapped over the tip 18. The rigid arcuate portion 16 may be similarly fastened to the spring, in fact, the spring may be permanently attached to the impact member and removably attached to the arcuate portion if desired.

Reference is now directed to FIGURE 10. For some purposes, it may be desirable to deliver a backward blow in a direction parallel with the percussion tool. This may be accomplished by extending the impact transmit- 3 ting member to form approximately a half-circle as indicated by 19 in FIGURE 10.

The operating end of the impact member may be provided with various shapes for specific purposes or may be otherwise specially equipped; for example, as shown in FIGURE 11, the tip of the impact transmitting member may be provided with a small permanent magnet 20.

As illustrated in FIGURE 12, the operating end of the impact transmitting member may be reduced as indicated by 21 in FIGURE 12.

It should be again observed that while the angularly operable head is illustrated in conjunction with an impact tool designed for use in dentistry, that the angularly operable head may be adapted to many other uses; for example, the percussion tool may be of a dimension to suit its use as an upholsterers tack hammer and be equipped with an angularly operable head so as to drive tacks in awkward places. In this case, the magnetic tip shown in FIGURE 11 may serve to hold the tack.

While particular embodiments of this invention have been shown and described, it is not intended to limit the same to the details of the constructions set forth, but instead, the invention embraces such changes, modifications and equivalents of the various parts and their relationships as come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with an impact tool having a reciprocable impact member of an angularly operable impact head, comprising:

(a) a tubular housing adapted for attachment to an impact tool and including a straight bore receiving the impact end of said impact member, and an arcuate bore continuing from said straight bore;

(b) and an arcuate impact transmitting means fitting said arcuate bore and having an impact receiving end confronting said impact member and an impact tip protruding from said arcuate bore.

2. The combination with an impact tool having a reciprocable impact member of an angularly operable impact head, comprising:

(a) a tubular housing adapted for attachment to an impact tool and including a straight bore receiving the impact end of said impact member, and an arcuate bore continuing from said straight bore;

(b) a reciprocable impact member extending within the straight bore of said housing terminating at said arcuate bore;

() and an arcuate impact transmitting means fitting said arcuate bore and having an impact receiving end confronting said impact member and an impact tip protruding from said arcuate bore.

3. The combination with an impact tool having a reciprocable impact member of an angularly operable impact head, comprising:

(a) a tubular housing adapted for attachment to an impact tool and including a straight bore receiving the impact end of said impact member, and an arcuate bore continuing from said straight bore;

(b) a reciprocable impact member extending within the straight bore of said housing terminating at said arcuate bore;

(c) an arcuate impact transmitting means fitting said arcuate bore and having an impact receiving end confronting said impact member and an impact tip protruding from said arcuate bore;

(d) and separable means connecting said arcuate impact transmitting means and said reciprocable impact member.

4. An angularly operable impact head according to claim 3, wherein:

(a) said separable means includes a retaining pin protruding from said impact member, and a pair of fingers extending from said arcuate impact transmitting means and gripping the sides of said pin.

5. An angularly operable impact head according to claim 3, wherein:

(a) said separable connecting means includes a socket in said impact member; and a pair of fingers extending from said arcuate transmitting means adaptable to be forced into said socket.

6. An angularly operable impact head according to claim 3, wherein:

(a) said arcuate impact transmitting means includes a coil spring having mutually contacting convolutions; and an end of said spring forming an element of said separable means, and a projection on said impact member forming the other element of said separable means.

7. An angularly operable impact head according to claim 3, wherein:

(a) said arcuate impact transmitting means defines essentially a half circle.

8. An angularly operable impact head according to claim 3, wherein:

(a) said arcuate impact transmitting means is provided with a magnet in its tip. 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH AN IMPACT TOOL HAVING A RECIPROCABLE IMPACT MEMBER OF AN ANGULARLY OPERABLE IMPACT HEAD, COMPRISING: (A) A TUBULAR HOUSING ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO AN IMPACT TOOL AND INCLUDING A STRAIGHT BORE RECEIVING THE IMPACT END OF SAID IMPACT MEMBER, AND AN ARCUATE BORE CONTINUING FROM SAID STRAIGHT BORE; (B) AND AN ARCUATE IMPACT TRANSMITTING MEANS FITTING SAID ARCUATE BORE AND HAVING AN IMPACT RECEIVING END CONFRONTING SAID IMPACT MEMBER AND AN IMPACT TIP PROTRUDING FROM SAID ARCUATE BORE. 